It's the first day of work at the world's deadliest job. Approximately 1,500 fishermen and 250 boats have converged on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, for the 2005 Alaskan king crab season. Each individual old salts and greenhorns alike ” is here to stake his claim on the 14 million pounds of crab that the season is expected to yield, and the chance to earn a year's wages in just one week. To that end, each boat's captain has his own strategy for success.With a radio countdown, the season begins and the first pots are dumped into the sea. It will be many hours before all the pots are set and even longer before anyone rests. But soon after the start, the stabilizer breaks on one of the boats, forcing its crew to fish with a potentially deadly problem. For others, it's fish guts and crab pots as they desperately grasp for their piece of the $80 million king crab pie.

After a long, sleepless night of baiting and setting crab pots, the fishermen anxiously await the captain's call to begin hauling them in. What's in the first pot of the season as it's pulled onto the deck sets the mood for the crew, and the questions on everyone's mind are who's got crab and where are they fishing?Some boats are ""on the crab,"" while others are ""pulling blanks."" The early losers agonize over strategy, hoping to make up for lost catch, while the winners try to figure out how to keep the crab coming. Others just want to start fishing ... One boat has broken the bin boards in its storage tank, which must be fixed before they can pull in their first pot. Every minute spent repairing broken equipment costs the crew serious money, and the greenhorns learn quickly that there's no sympathy for fatigue.

It's hour 42 of the Alaskan king crab season and every captain feels the pressure, especially since the Alaska Department of Fish and Game just announced an early closure to the season. Each boat has 24 hours to pull out the pots they have in the water — and every one of the final pots count. The fishermen either find crab today, or give up their chance at a profitable season; the results can affect these men and their families for the entire year.All of the boats in the fleet face challenges: One captain, nervous about the spot he's chosen to fish, decides to take a gamble on a new location, while another grapples with an injured crew member. And worst of all, some boats still have no crab to show despite the continuous efforts made by their captains and crew.

With less than half a day left in the Alaskan king crab season, the crews race the clock to get as much crab into the holding tanks as they can. Bad luck and mechanical malfunctions still plague some captains, who need to land a certain number of crabs just to cover their operating expenses, much less to turn a profit for the crew.As the midnight deadline marking the end of season closes in, the battle to unload begins. Boats are unloaded at the processing plants on a first-come, first-serve basis, and a couple of minutes can mean the difference between unloading immediately, or waiting in the harbor for days.

Opilio crab season is about to begin, and the forecast is glacial and dangerous. On a cold, rainy January day — when sunlight lasts just six hours — 171 boats begin the journey out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, sailing up to 450 miles northwest of the small town in search of crab. But shortly after he leaves port, smoke and heat force one captain to surrender valuable time to turn around for repairs, only to discover that an EIRB, or emergency signal, has rung out from a sister boat. Meanwhile, gale warnings buzz over the radio, alerting captains of treacherous ice conditions — ice that, if allowed to build up on the crab pots, could capsize a boat.Finally, at noon, the Opilio crab season begins, and the fleet is forced to put their emotions aside and begin fishing.

With one boat sunk and its crew missing, several Good Samaritan boats postpone their season to comb the frigid waters of the Bering Sea for survivors. The tragic news travels fast, but captains too far away to help with the search and rescue decide to concentrate on the baiting and setting of pots. As the remaining 170 boats in the fleet turn their attention to fishing, though, tragedy strikes again. A frantic call comes in over the radio from a boat whose deckhand has fallen overboard. The reality of another death strikes a nervous chord throughout the fleet and keeps everyone on edge as they continue to chase America's deadliest catch.

Less than a day into the Opilio crab season, the Bering Sea has already claimed six lives. Despite these losses, the rest of the fleet begins to pull the pots they set 12 hours before, their hopes high. As the weather turns for the better, fishing is made easier, and for the first time this season, there is a moment of calm on the Bering Sea.

Unseasonably warm weather and calm seas have contributed to three days of record catches for the fleet. It's not all smooth sailing for one boat, however, when an electrical fire breaks out in the engine room and its crew must scramble to fix the problem before safely returning to fishing. But as the fourth day of the season gets under way, the continued high number of crabs spurs rumors of an early closure, with every captain speculating on when the quota will be met.

Eighty-four hours into the Opilio season, the hunt for crab intensifies as rumors of a possible closure prompt the men to push even harder. Some boats are so successful their captains begin wondering where to put excess crab, while others, finally hitting the "honey hole", try to make up for their slow start. But throughout the fleet crews begin to fatigue as the pending season closure drives them forward. This is the last time they will fish in a derby-style competition, and everyone wants to make their final run a memorable one.

With the deaths of the Big Valley crew, this Opilio crab season has been a rough one. On every boat, crew members are reaching their limit, but are spurred on by the pressure to catch a year's wages in the next 24 hours. As the last hours of the season tick down, a new race begins: the race back to port. Since off-loading is done on a first-come-first-serve basis, captains must decide when and where to unload their catch, competing for the best spot in line at the processor. Crab can't last forever in a boat, so a few days waiting could mean tens of thousands of dollars.

Back out on the Bering Sea, the crews set sail for this round of crab fishing. With new rules and more time to fish, the stakes are still high.

With the weather calm on the Bering Sea the fleet takes full advantage. With a storm brewing out at sea, the decision to stay or run needs to be made.

With Mother Nature in full force, crews decide to stick it out in search of Alaskan Gold.

The crew of the Northwestern makes a profit at Akutan Island. They make the decision to head back out to sea in search of more King Crab.

The faith of the Aleutian Ballad is relived after being slammed by that 65 foot rouge wave. Meanwhile the crews of the other boats must endure the terrible weather conditions.

A new crab season beings and this time its the Opilio Crab season. As the crews and the ships return to Dutch Harbor in January, they prep their ships in hopes that this new season will better than the last one

With the fierce arctic storm continuing, the Time Bandit pushes through the ruff waters with a limited amount of bait. While the Rollo and the Maverick drop their posts quickly to avoid rolling into the sub-zero waters. Meanwhile, a frustrated Cornelia Marie is stuck at port and the Northwestern sticks with what works, Cod.

Fights break out on the Maverick and the Rollo, due to fact of fray nerves that is being caused by two factors, bad crabs and long days. Meanwhile the Time Bandit, despite the artic onslaught, presses northward and Sig wakes up from a short nap to find out that his ship is lost.

Fights break out on the Maverick and the Rollo, due to fact of fray nerves that is being caused by two factors, bad crabs and long days. Meanwhile the Time Bandit, despite the artic onslaught, presses northward and Sig wakes up from a short nap to find out that his ship is lost.

The freezing weather and the dangerous icing takes its toll on board the Cornelia Marie, when one of its deckhands, Dave Gilbert becomes the first victim, by falling on the deck. Also the Time Bandit atempts to navigates the northern ice pack and the Maverick must attempt a jury-rig repair of the shattered stiff arm.

The Rollo and the Maverick have off loaded their crab, a miscalculation sends a Captain into a frenzy. A race back to the crab grounds is underway to see who can bring home the crab.

The end of the Opilio season is upon the fleet, and crews push hard to bring in the last of the crab. With the crab tanks full, the next task is to make it back to port…in one piece.

The 2006 Crab season is underway in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Fishing vessels and crews are preparing for the harsh conditions they will endure. Fierce seas, high winds, and ice build-up will make this season of Deadliest Catch…deadly.

Fishing is put on hold for boats in the area of where a fellow vessel sank, fellow fishermen search with the Coast Guard to locate survivors. Between faulty equipment and bad fishing crews are struggling with a rough start to the 2006 season.

The Bering Sea is relentless this season, claiming one life after another. The high seas are a dangerous place to work, a deckhand on board the Wizard is badly injured causing the captain to rush back to shore.

Despite the tragedies, fatigue, equipment problems, and weather the crews push on. Boats and crews are working forty hours with no sleep, making this dangerous job even more dangerous. With the Bering Sea still claiming victims crews are questioning decisions, working who will be the next victim.

The bright light at the end of the 2006 King Crab season is upon the fleet. Captains and crews muster up one final push for dropping gear, hauling pots in and getting crab off the boats.

The 2006 King Crab season has come to a close, so the Captains head back to Dutch Harbor. Despite the tragedy at sea, mechanical problems, and injuries…the fishing has been good.

As the Opilio crab season opens, several greenhorns are about to experience the subfreezing temperatures and icy winter waters of the Bering Sea for the first time.

A couple of days into the Opilio crab season a major storm system hits the fishing fleet. Forcing many captains to call their crews off their decks and even forces a few to head back to port because of breakdowns.

Forced back to port because of a blown engine, the Northwestern, a week behind is now back on the fishing grounds. Capt. Sig hopes that putting all of his gear far north will pay off.

Several greenhorns are put to the test as the Bering Sea's harsh winter weather deteriorates. The one on the Wizard is already faltering under the grueling working conditions; but the ones on the Northwestern and Cornelia Marie step up to prove their worth.

The 2007 Opilio Crab season continues to march on despite the dangerous risks faced by the fleet.

The 2007 Opilio season has been long, cold, dangerous, and filled with problems. Now, the captains and their crews hurry back to unload despite the freezing conditions, so they can cash in.

It's the beginning of a new king crab season and everyone's looking to cash in. Some boats are slow to start but eventually get to catching some king crab.

Everyone ships looking to get some good crab numbers this season, but the Bearing Sea won't let them off so easy. A new greenhorn for the Wizard starts falling apart after only 48 hours of working. Meamwhile the Early Dawn countines to fish for Brown King Crab.

The King crab season is well under way, but ships and people are already showing signs of weakness; The Northwestern has a mechanical breakdown, the Wizard's greenhorns are lost in the midst of work and the Cornelia Marie's captain's health is failing which greatly affects the crew.

Greenhorns, skippers, and family fishing dynasties begin to crack. On Northwestern, Sig and Edgar have a "last man standing" contest to see who can fish the longest without sleep. Time Bandit's Captain Johnathan has a brush with death.

The seas are rough and they'll only get rougher.The Time Bandit has a dangerous electrical short. On the Cornelia Marie, Phil's health deteriorates. The Early Dawn boats driving with a sleeping greenhorn at the wheel. Fights between deckhands break out on the Northwestern.

With the king crab season nearly over, everyone's feeling the pressure. Captains are pushing their boats and their crews to the breaking point.

As the King Crab season drawls to a close, a mass amounts of stinging jellyfish by catch in unfilled pots add insult to injury. The Cornelia Marie could face losing their captain for good. The crew mistakes onboard Northwestern could be costly.

As the king crab season comes to an end, a totally exhausted crew fills the Northwestern's crab tanks to the brim. Cornelia Marie has a blackout. North American does a "Hail Mary". Wizard and Time Bandit race for the "String of the Week" prize.

The Opilio season begins. A dual storm system challenges a patched Cornelia Marie and almost costs the Time Bandit two of her men. A medical emergency on one of the boats brings in the U.S. Coast Guard, but the dangerous freezing spray puts everyone's lives at risk.

A routine Coast Guard rescue becomes a battle against nature. The Cornelia Marie heads to land for repairs. Fatigue is causing mistakes on the Northwestern. On the Wizard, Greenhorn Moi locks horns with Capt. Keith. The Time Bandit heads for better grounds.

On the Time Bandit, Capt. Johnathan joins the deck crew and promptly has an injuriy while showing off his deck skills. The Northwestern crew is irritating Capt. Sig. Lenny from Wizard barely escapes a huge wave. The North American greenhorn is hazed.

Massive storm waves tear up the decks of the Early Dawn, North American, and Northwestern. On the Cornelia Marie, Capt. Phil injures his ribs and begins coughing blood, after he tossed from his bunk due to a wave hitting his boat but he won't head in for medical attention until his crew refuses to work any more.

When Capt. Phil heads for the hospital for the treatment of his spitting up blood, Murray takes command of the Cornelia Marie and struggles with his new duties. The Northwestern's crane strains to its breaking points and put the boat peril. The Wizard goes through a serious leak and Moi, the boat's greenhorn, gets the axe.

The Northwestern fights the ice pack. The Wizard sets off with tempers flaring and a new greenhorn. Phil's future on the Cornelia Marie is questionable, so the crew struggles on without their captain. The Time Bandit has a near fatal mistake and a tough choice.

The Arctic ice pack descends on the fleet as they make their final runs. Both the crews of the Northwestern and Wizard battle freezing spray. The Cornelia Marie's crew suffers from "Bering Sea dementia" while the Time Bandit's crew is at its breaking point.

As the Oppie season drawls to the end the captains race to catch the last of their remaining quotas, battling ice and equipment issues. The Time Bandit's Scottie makes a near fatal mistake working the hydraulic system. An ominous message comes across the radio as the men head for home ports.

The 2008 King crab fleet faces huge stakes - before boats even cast off. Skippers Keith and Phil could be sidelined by life threatening illnesses and all the boats are in debt from summer repairs. A skipper is pressured to take a potentially fatal risk.

A vicious storm kicks up and a Mayday goes out. The Skippers are glued to their radios -- waiting to hear the fate of 11 brother fishermen in distress...

The fleet is still dialing into the crab, and already a typhoon has taken its toll. A boat has sunk - and bone-chilling accounts of the fate of its men relay around the fleet.

It¹s week four of King Crab Season. Seven souls have perished, but the fishermen soldier on, in the hunt for crab. Grueling hours and vicious hazing test the Greenhorns -- and some start to crack.

Crab pots still come up empty and the skippers are out of ideas. Low bait and long grinds take our crews to dark places -- the smallest infractions from a Greenhorn or fellow Deckhand cause tempers and even violence to flare.

A new deadline is set: an upcoming drop in the price of king crab has the skippers rushing to finish their season. But crew battles and a fierce arctic storm block the way.

The King Crab Season is down to the wire and skippers are desperate to top off their quotas. It's looking bleak as crews pick through bone-yards of fished out grounds. Some boats dig deep for an end of season sprint, --other boats just scrape by.

The 2008 King crab season is over with and It's the start of the 2009 Opilio Crab Season. Anything the Bering Sea held back during King Season is now being paid out in spades. The skippers have their eyes on the oncoming ice pack -- but it's a lethal, 40-foot rogue wave that's on the hunt.

In this episode the fleet arrives on the Opi Grounds and boats struggle with ice, big seas, and bad information to hunt down the crab. A skipper regrets sending his men out in savage weather to save the boat but there are no second chances on the Bering Sea.

It's week three of the Opilio Crab Season. Long hours and miserable conditions already have the crabbers turning on each other. Boat-crushing ice stands between one skipper and the safety of harbor.

After weeks battling freezing spray, forty foot waves, and sub-zero temperatures, skippers have begun plugging their boats with Opilio crab. As they race to St. Paul harbor for offload, the 250,000 square mile arctic ice pack stands in their way.

Halfway through the season, each skipper faces his own personal form of hell. Frozen crab, frozen gear, and a frozen harbor chill the hearts of the most callous of fishermen. On the Northwestern, Sig battles a fierce cigarette addiction-and a fierce storm

When the fleet gets word of great fishing by the ice pack, the chase is on to the ends of the earth! Two egos collide, when Keith and Phil fight over fishing turf. Sick of hauling mangled, barnacle-ridden crab down south, Captain Harry on the Incentive faces his fears and climbs north to frozen waters. While aboard the Northwestern, Sig pushes his crew and himself to the edge of insanity with a sleepless, 38 hour grind. Hellacious hours and missing pots-a journey to the far north will push these men over the edge.

Weeks into the Opilio Season, the fleet is bone tired and desperate for home. As delirium sets in, deadly, rib-crunching mistakes are made. But for one fisherman, a tragedy on land spells gut-wrenching, heartbreak at sea.

The Opilio season is almost over, but an arctic storm front has the skippers on edge. The boats race to plug their tanks with crab and get back to port unscathed. On the first boat to finish, a tight knit crew fractures.

It's the final 24 hours of the 2009 Opilio crab season. A savage arctic storm causes multiple vessels to send out maydays. The Coast Guard is in a race against the clock to save four men before their boat is pounded into splinters against jagged rocks.

The 2009 King crab season begins with tensions at an all time high. One deckhand threatens to quit, while another sets his pre-mature sights on the wheelhouse. When the captains gather for their annual meeting, a line is crossed.

It's week two of King Crab season and a storm looms as the fleet hauls their first crab. One greenhorn cramps up after just a few pots, while two junior deckhands are tested on unfamiliar boats. But it's the veteran deckhands that really try the skippers' patience.

It's the third week of hunting King crab and Captain Phil and Captain Sig's experiment in trading junior deckhands comes to a close. The young crew members are tested by big waves and cruel pranks until the end. Meanwhile, conflict between skippers and deckhands continues to rage unchecked.

Captain Sig and Captain Phil liaison to reclaim their junior deckhands with a high seas transfer. But when the young crew members submerge themselves in the bitter, treacherous tides - the plan quickly spins out of control.

The boats unload and head back out to top off their quotas but the fishing is poor. Captain Sig takes the Northwestern on a risky excursion to the northwest for blue king crab. The high seas are fighting everyone.

A white knuckle, boat-crippling passage stands between the Time Bandit and their final offload. A maniacal skipper continues to risk mutiny in the far northern reaches of the Bering Sea. Meanwhile, Captain Phil has to deal with an major engineering glitch that threatens Cornelia Marie's entire King crab catch.

An ice storm arrives on the winter crab grounds; skipper Phil Harris faces hefty repairs and untimely delays when the Cornelia Marie runs aground.

Ice bashing takes its toll on the fleet; an exhausted crew tries to keep up with the skipper's maniacal pace on the Northwestern.

The Coast Guard is summoned regarding a heart attack; the Time Bandit faces an emergency; the Cornelia Marie tries out difficult fishing grounds in the Bering Sea.

The Coast Guard helicopter continues an attempted a rescue in dangerous seas. The deck of the Time Bandit becomes a deadly gauntlet of heavy, falling ice chunks while on the Cornelia Marie, the skipper's son reveals a dark secret.

On the Cornelia Marie Captain Phil comes to grip with his son Jakes's drug addiction. Phil and a couple other skippers contemplate retirement and who can take charge of their legacy. Captain Sig has to deliver some hard news to a deck hand. The fleet returns to unload and is reminded that bad things happen in port too.

Josh remains behind to handle affairs on the Cornelia Marie as Captain Phil is medevaced to Anchorage. Captain Andy starts training Mike as relief captain, to the jealousy of the other deckhands. Word of Phil's stroke begins to reach the other captains, sending shockwaves through the fleet.

Drama dominates the crews of the fleet during the mid-season grind. Jake and Josh Harris suffer a new falling-out with their father's life hanging in the balance.

A power struggle for the captain's chair erupts between Mike and Scott on the Time Bandit; Edgar Hansen schools his greenest deckhand; ominous weather awaits the fleet while Phil Harris fights for his life.

Captain Phil Harris loses his battle for life while the boats - unaware of the news - battle the biggest storm of the season. Eventually, eldest son Josh breaks the news to the fleet and reactions are intense and unforgettable.

Saluting Capt. Phil Harris, who died on Feb. 9, 2010.

Tension runs high on the Northwestern, as Edgar Hansen is fed up with the 22 year marathon of pain, confronts his older brother Sig. Josh Harris returns to the Cornelia Marie and the Opilio Season ends with a harrowing mayday.